Dodgers' rotation is returning to form at the perfect time

While the Los Angeles Dodgers have always been expected to claim the NL West, the team's 2025 campaign hasn't been nearly as smooth sailing as last year's World Series run. Following a four-game losing streak, L.A. ceded its NL West lead for the first time this season. 

One series sweep against the San Diego Padres later, though, and things are clearly beginning to click for baseball's most star-studded roster. Thanks to a return to form from their pitching staff, the Dodgers once again have full control of the division. 

L.A.'s offense didn't disappear in the divisional battle, but the team certainly wasn't mashing on all cylinders. The Dodgers scored 14 runs against the Padres over the weekend, but that wasn't the story of the series — it was the team's dominant pitching.

The Dodgers relied heavily on a cast of short-term arms alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto to open the season. But now, entering the stretch run of the season, the aces L.A. hoped to have starting games for it are finally available — and they're performing.

Shohei Ohtani has been a strikeout machine in limited action since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. Against the Padres, though, it was a slew of aging veterans who gave San Diego trouble at the plate.

Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw started the series off with an impressive six-inning outing, allowing just one run while completely shutting down the Padres' torrid offense, allowing only two hits. Despite struggling at the plate itself, L.A. still claimed a 3-2 victory.

Next came Blake Snell, who made just his fifth appearance of the season and only his third since April 2. Unlike Kershaw, who had a rough start to the 2025 season, Snell has mowed down opponents in every outing this year, a trend he continued on Saturday. The two-time Cy Young winner pitched six innings of shutout baseball, making his presence felt for a team that has been in dire need of his services.

Tyler Glasnow, who, like Snell, missed all of May and June, finished the series off for L.A. The 31-year-old wasn't as flawless as his teammates, but he's proven that his strong first season in L.A. wasn't a fluke. Glasnow struck out eight in five innings while allowing two runs in the Dodgers' statement 5-4 win.

In a series where their bats were inconsistent, the Dodgers easily could have dropped this vital series on their home turf. But now, after months of anticipation, the powerhouse rotation the franchise heavily invested in has finally arrived.

Still only holding a two-game lead in the NL West, the Dodgers are far from being in the clear. But if Kershaw, Snell and Glasnow continue their current trajectories, there won't be too many offenses that can touch this L.A. rotation in the postseason.